Prof. Dr. Matthias Ruf

• Since 2026: Tenure-Track Professor (JLU Gießen)
• 2024 - 2026: DFG Temporary Position for Principal Investigators (University of Augsburg)
• 2019 - 2024: Bernoulli Instructor (EPFL)
• 2017 - 2019: Postdoc (UL Bruxelles)
• 2013 - 2017: Promotion (TU München)

If you are interested in writing a bachelor's or master's thesis in the field of analysis, please feel free to send me an email.

Summer semester 2026

• Lecture: Calculus of Variations
• Seminar: The Brouwer degree

My research focuses on the calculus of variations. My work includes

• (Stochastic) homogenization
• Discrete-to-continuum limit theorems
• Problems in nonlinear elasticity theory

Publications/Preprints (Preprint available for download at https://cvgmt.sns.it/person/1692/):

25. (with A. Bach) Stochastic homogenization of integral functionals defined on manifold-valued Sobolev maps. Preprint (2025).

24. (with M. Schäffner) Upper bounds for the homogenization problem in nonlinear elasticity: the incompressible case. Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations, 65 (2026), art. 4.

23. (with L. Koch, M. Schäffner) On the Lavrentiev gap for convex, vectorial integral functionals. J. Funct. Anal., 288 (2025), 110793.

22. (with A. Bach) Stochastic homogenization of functionals defined on finite partitions. In ’Anisoperimetric Isoperimetric Problems and Related Topics’, Springer INdAM Series, vol. 62. (2024), 91–126, Springer, Singapore.

21. (with M. Duerinckx, A. Gloria) A spectral ansatz for the long-time homogenization of the wave equation. J. Éc. polytech., Math., 11 (2024), 523–587.

20. (with M. Schäffner) New homogenization results for convex integral functionals and their Euler-Lagrange equations. Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations, 63 (2024), art. 32.

19. (with C. I. Zeppieri) Stochastic homogenization of degenerate integral functionals with linear growth. Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations, 62 (2023), art 138.

18. (with M. Cicalese, G. Orlando) A classical S2 spin system with discrete out-of-plane anisotropy: variational analysis at surface and vortex scalings. Nonlinear Anal., 231 (2023), 112929.

17. (with T. Ruf) Stochastic homogenization of degenerate integral functionals and their Euler-Lagrange equations. J. Éc. polytech., Math., 10 (2023), 253–303.

16. (with A. Bach) Fluctuation estimates for the multi-cell formula in stochastic homogenization of partitions. Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations, 61 (2022), art. 84.

15. (with M. Cicalese, G. Orlando) The N -clock model: Variational analysis for fast and slow divergence rates of N . Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., 254 (2022), 1135–1196.

14. (with M. Cicalese, G. Orlando) Coarse graining and large-N behavior of the d-dimensional N -clock model. Interfaces Free Bound., 23 (2021), 323–351.

13. (with M. Cicalese, G. Orlando) Emergence of concentration effects in the variational analysis of the N-clock model. Commun. Pure and Appl. Math., 75 (2022), 2279–2342.

12. (with A. Bach, M. Cicalese) Random finite-difference discretizations of the Ambrosio-Tortorelli functional with optimal mesh size. SIAM J. Math. Anal., 53 (2021), 2275–2318.

11. (with M. Cicalese, A. Gloria) From statistical polymer physics to nonlinear elasticity. Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., 236 (2020), 1127–1215.

10. (with A. Gloria) Loss of strong ellipticity through homogenization in 2D linear elasticity: A phase diagram. Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., 231 (2019), 845–886.

09. Discrete stochastic approximations of the Mumford-Shah functional. Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré C Anal. Non Linéaire, 36 (2019), 887–937.

08. Motion of discrete interfaces in low-contrast random environments. ESAIM: COCV, 24 (2018), 1275–1301.

07. (with M. Cicalese, F. Solombrino) Hemihelical local minimizers in prestrained elastic bi-strips. Z. Angew. Math. Phys., 68 (2017), art. 122.

06. (with A. Braides, M. Cicalese) Continuum limit and stochastic homogenization of ferromagnetic thin films. Anal. PDE, 11 (2018), 499–553.

05. On the continuity of functionals defined on partitions. Adv. Calc. Var., 11 (2018), 335–339.

04. (with M. Cicalese, F. Solombrino) On global and local minimizers of prestrained thin elastic rods. Calc. Var. Partial Differential Equations, 56 (2017), art. 115.

03. (with M. Cicalese) Discrete spin systems on random lattices at the bulk scaling. Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst. - S., 10 (2017), 101–117.

02. (with M. Cicalese, F. Solombrino) Chirality transitions in frustrated S2-valued spin systems. Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci., 26 (2016), 1481–1529.

01. (with R. Alicandro, M. Cicalese) Domain formation in magnetic polymer composites: an approach via stochastic homogenization. Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal., 218 (2015), 945–984.